Last victim of Italian quake found

2012-05-30 14:01

Mirandola - Italian rescue workers removed the last earthquake victim from
the rubble on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 17 as the government
approved measures to rebuild the quake-hit area so crucial to Italy's economic
health.

The magnitude-5.8 temblor north of Bologna on Tuesday felled old buildings
and new factories and warehouses alike, many of them already weakened by a
stronger quake on 20 May that measured 6.0 and killed seven people.

In both quakes, the death toll was disproportionately high for workers
toiling in factories, leading to some questions about Italy's building codes or
possible corruption.

"I remember with sorrow the deaths in Emilia, who died while working,
mostly workers but also entrepreneurs," Interior Minister Anna Maria
Cancellieri said in Rome.

Premier Mario Monti has promised the government would do whatever is
necessary to rebuild the region.

On Wednesday, the government approved measures, including raising the price
of gas by .02 cents a litre, to begin the reconstruction of homes, businesses
and historic structures, including many churches, in the stricken area.

Anaemic economy

Crews on Wednesday pulled the last body from the rubble of a factory in the
town of Medolla. Three others also died in the structure. Civil Protection
authorities in Rome say no one else is known to be missing.

The quake, which also injured some 350 people, dealt another blow to one of
the country's most productive regions at a time when Italy is struggling to
restart its anaemic economy amid Europe's debt crisis.

Italy's economic growth has been stagnant for at least a decade and the
economy is forecast to contract by 1.2% this year.

The area encompassing the northern cities of Modena, Mantua and Bologna is
prized for its super car production, churning out Ferraris, Maseratis and
Lamborghinis; its world-famous Parmesan cheese, and less well-known but
critical to the economy - its machinery companies.

The ground continued to shake through the night, rattling the nerves of
residents. Many spent the night in tent camps or their cars, too afraid to
sleep at home.

In the tent camp, residents had basic needs met but carried profound scars.

"I had a psychological breakdown," said Annalisa Caiazzo, aged 34,
from Mirandola near Modena as she began her day in a makeshift tent camp.
"After so many aftershocks, I did not expect that everything would have
restarted again. We are all collapsed."

Civil protection co-ordinator Carmine Lizza said counsellors were on hand to
help rattled residents who have lived through two terrifying quakes in two
weeks in an area not considered particularly quake-prone.

"They will need weeks to recover, because the earthquake is a deep
wound," Lizza said.